Normally on flame and plasma cutting machines having a bridge, the bridge is fitted with multiple tooling such as oxy fuel torches and multiple plasma cutting torches on movable carriages. The cutting machine is fitted with multiple carriages where each carriage is fitted with one each of the different cutting heads of either plasma or oxy fuel or other cutting heads such as marking, laser cutting, drilling or the like. The cutting machine allows for the spacing of the carriages to be adjusted by manual or automatic methods. The carriage spacing is then set and all the carriages supportively move together on a gantry. Each cutting tool currently need their own lifter mechanism on a common carriage which is redundant when that tool type is not required.
Typically flame cutting machines allow for multiple oxy fuel torches to be used to simultaneously cut out parts. Conversely the plasma cutting machines allow for multiple plasma torches to be used to simultaneously cut out parts of a steel product-for example. The plasma torches and the oxy torches do not operate at the same time.
There are problems with this type of torch arrangement whereby to ensure the spacing between torches (or torch heads) is minimised, the cuffing machine is often set up with different carriages which are each fitted with both a plasma and oxy fuel torch. Each carriage can be spaced according to the distance required between the parts being cut (eg steel parts). However due to the inclusion of the other cutting heads between adjacent cutting heads of the same type, the minimum spacing of the same type cutting heads is increased in a side by side type relationship.
A cutting machine may be for example fitted with five carriages, the first two carriages fitted with a plasma cutting torch head or an oxy torch head, and a drilling head, the last three carriages being fitted with only oxy torch heads. Thus allowing for up to two tool cutting heads with either plasma or drilling and up to five simultaneously with the oxy fuel cutting heads. All individual tool heads have an independent vertical guide system and vertical control system.
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